Recent Protests Don’t Seem to Be Causing Outbreaks
Scientists are cautiously optimistic about preliminary findings
Covid-19 testing among protesters suggest the massive demonstrations against racism and police brutality across the United States are not causing significant new outbreaks of the disease, according to preliminary data from three cities. If the positive trend continues, it’ll be due in part to the fact that many protesters are wearing masks, experts say.
Protesters in Seattle were encouraged to get tested for Covid-19. “Results are in from UW Medicine and out of 3,000 tests fewer than 1% were positive,” the city announced June 12. “To our knowledge and based on volunteered information, there is no evidence so far of people testing positive for COVID-19 from attending protests in Seattle.” In Minneapolis, about 1.4% of 3,300 protestors who were tested last week were found to have Covid-19.
Boston found 1.08% positive cases among 1,288 people tested at sites designed for protestors, the city announced June 16. (City officials can’t say for sure if everyone tested had actually participated in protests). Boston requires all residents over age 2 “to use a face covering or mask in public places where maintaining proper social distancing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are not possible.”
